I punched in the order, hands shaking so hard I nearly dropped the mug.
Sutton sidled over, sliding a fresh bear claw onto the plate. “On the house,” she said, “since you’re apparently our favorite customer.”
Ford grinned at her, then glanced at Eryn. “Heard your yoga class is getting wild. Walker says half the town’s signed up now.”
Eryn rolled her eyes. “If by wild you mean half the guys show up to gawk at Dr. Caroline doing bendy splits, then yes. It’s a circus. You should come by—Gray could use the competition.”
Ford shook his head, but he was smiling. “Think I’ll pass. Flexibility’s overrated.”
He looked at me again, and my throat went dry.
I handed him his coffee, careful not to spill. “Sumatra, right? I remembered.”
He looked at the mug, then at me, his gaze gentle but direct. “You’ve got a good memory.”
“Only for useless trivia,” I said, then wanted to slap myself for being so awkward.
Ford leaned in, voice low. “I don’t think it’s useless at all.”
The heat in my cheeks probably set a new state record.
He took the coffee, fingers brushing mine for a fraction of a second, then carried it to the end of the counter. He settled on a stool, took a sip, and exhaled like he hadn’t breathed all morning.
The whole thing was over in less than thirty seconds, but it felt like a tectonic event.
Eryn sidled back over, voice pitched for just the three of us. “See? What did I tell you? He’s absolutely crazy about you.”
I shook my head, still reeling. “He barely said anything, he was just being polite.”
Sutton snorted. “Lil, that man’s not polite to anyone. I’ve known him since I was knee-high and he’s never looked at me like he looks at you.”
Eryn nodded, conspiratorial. “Gray says the ranch isn’t the only thing he’s interested in fixing up.”
I wanted to crawl into the flour bin and stay there forever.
“I thought Gray wasn’t even speaking to him.”
“Oh he isn’t really. Yet. He’s driving me crazy over it. The man clearly misses his friend and can barely go two minutes without talking about him, but refuses to sit down and hash things out.”
Sutton rolled her eyes. “I know what you mean. Damon’s even worse. He’s so transparent, like yeah, your feelings were hurt. Why don’t you do something about it instead of being an asshole all the time?”
“They better sort it out soon, or I’ll be forced to intervene,” Eryn said with a nod.
A lull fell over the bakery, the rush between orders settling into a steady background noise. Ford sipped his coffee, eyes scanning the room, never lingering but never really leaving, either. It was like he was aware of every movement, every change in the air.
Sutton took advantage of the quiet to finish wiping down the counter. “So, are you gonna ask him out, or do I have to?”
I nearly dropped a spoon. “What? No. I mean—what would I even say?”
She grinned, evil. “Say you need help with something else at the apartment. Maybe your microwave is on the fritz.”
Eryn laughed, hiding it behind her hand. “Or your WiFi password is too hard to remember and you can’t figure out how to change it.”
I rolled my eyes, but secretly loved that they cared enough to tease me. It was a weird, unfamiliar feeling, this sense of being part of a team. Of not being completely alone.
Ford finished his coffee, then stood and tossed a tip in the jar—a twenty, because apparently he was trying to ruin me. He gave me a little nod as he headed to the restroom, like we were sharing a secret.
Once the door swung shut behind him, Eryn let out a long, theatrical sigh. “God, he’s hot.”
